Post 1010 Rocket Project 2008: Launch

Team 1 (TARC 6129) and Team 3 (TARC 6161) were invited to the National Flyoff in Virginia. Here is the letter and information on the event. The objective for both teams is to get a score under 20 on their single launch.

Team 1 hopes to fly their electronic flight controlled rocket. If not, they will use one of the back up rockets.

Team 3 will be flying their Red rocket with a F24-4W. This is what got them there.

Launch Windows

Team 3 will launch first from Goddard site, launch pad 12, between 8:30am to 9:30am, check in opens at 6:30am, but we expect to check in by 7:30am. We will need to leave home around 6:00am to arrive at 7:00am. Bob Ekman will go with Team 3.

Team 1 will launch second from Goddard site, launch pad 12, between 10:30am to 11:30am, check in opens at 8:30am. They should arrive by 8:30am and check in by 9:30am. They will need to leave home around 7:30am to arrive by 8:30am.

The launch site is at Great Meadows
(directions, site map), near The Plains,
Virginia, off I66, west of Manassas.

Friday Contestant Briefing -- video

Teams should plan to arrive in Manassas, Virginia on Friday, May 16, in time to be at Battlefield High School (15000 Graduation Dr) in Haymarket (9 miles from the hotels in Manassas off I66) well before 7:30 PM. There will be a 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM all-contestant briefing at the auditorium of this school. Event registration packets, rocket engine orders that were made in advance to the official TARC on-site vendor Hangar11 Hobbies, and rockets shipped ahead to Aurora Flight Sciences to be held for teams, will all be available for pickup at this event starting ninety minutes before the briefing, at 6:00 PM, and will also be available on the flying site Saturday morning. We will make and announce the decision at the Friday contestant briefing if the weather forecast for Saturday is so unfavorable (heavy rain or wind above 20 miles per hour) that the flyoff must be postponed to Sunday.

Saturday Flying Schedule

Teams assigned the first fly-off "launch window" time slot (6:30 AM check-in opening, 8:30-9:30 AM liftoffs) should plan to be at the flying field by 6:30 AM on the day that flying occurs (May 17). See "Time Management" below for more explanation of these "launch windows". Other teams may choose to arrive later than this, but each team should arrive at least an hour before its assigned rocket check-in time. All teams should plan to remain at the flying site until the conclusion of the award ceremony at 6 PM on fly-off day. The barbecue after the award ceremony should end by 8 PM Saturday. Teams should be flexible enough in their plans to be able to stay for a May 18 (Sunday) fly-off if bad weather on Saturday forces postponement of the planned flight day of May 17.